Wash hands carefully and often. Avoid contact where possible. Disinfect. Eat healthy. And the list goes on. We are all trying to do our best to avoid becoming ill. For ourselves and for others. Some recommendations cost money that we may simply not have. Cold showers are free. With the spreading of the Corvid-19, I decided to revisit parts of ‘Go Cold, So No Cold' that I wrote over 7 years ago, during the normal winter cold and flu season. Today, we are faced with the rapid spreading of a virus. The media does not talk about the benefits of cold showering. They should. Back then I wrote: ‘Go…

You have a moderate to mild case of acne. Your doctor refers you to a dermatologist who suggests a benzoyl peroxide treatment plan. Doctor approved. Dermatologist recommended. What could be safer? In the past, we would never question this scenario. Today we do. Why? Because we can. Many professionals roll their eyes when we mention Google. There is a lot of misinformation out there. Agreed. We are self diagnosing. Our stress levels are roller coaster rides. Is there any way to slow it all down? Escape the maze? Unfortunately, no easy answers. Do ask the professionals, but expect confusion.…

Setting: Guelph university. Fair November Craft Show, November 2019Testimonial from a customer 2 months later On our ESP bar I had the good fortune of browsing through your vendor table at Fair November at the University of Guelph, and I am so thankful. I cannot express how much this shampoo bar has made a difference for me. I have psoriasis, particularly badly on my scalp. It got to the point where it was cracking and bleeding and nothing was helping. I had tried medications, medicated shampoos, creams, and pretty much anything I could get my hands on and I had only been able to reduce it to…

Toxic sunscreens are being banned. It is about time. The Republic of Palau, an island in the western Pacific ocean, has passed a new law, as of January 2020, banning the sale and use of sunscreen skincare products that contain toxic chemicals.* This follows on Hawaii’s proposed ban of 2 of the toxic ingredients, oxybenzone or octinoxite , that will take place in 2021. Other tourist destinations (eg, Akumal, Mexico) warn visitors NOT to use sunscreen that will damage the coral. (Unfortunately, just last year, Miami Beach reneged on any ban, saying that there was lack of evidence.)  Some heads…

“Please don’t open”, I begged the suite door to our adjoining rooms. “Be well, my daughters.”. I was in the claws of a severe food poisoning that night and was sick beyond any nightmare I could have imagined. Day number 3 at our Cuban resort. Thankfully, the door remained silent. In the morning, my husband summoned the doctor for me.   “Where did you get this arsenal?” he exclaimed, as he perused my lineup of bedside aids: liquid minerals, grapefruit, ginger and charcoal. "Yes, I had used the grapefruit seed extract in my water. Yes, I had taken the charcoal.”  After insisting on a shot of…

If you have found a skin care line that works for you, kudos. Stick with it. It is like having a job you are happy to greet each day. I tried to find the % of people who were happy with their skin. Google was confused with this request, but did acknowledge discussion on ‘one’s skin and happiness’. Our skin is our mirror. No one likes to hear, “You look tired.” If the person is a good friend and they look tired, they know it already. No reminder needed. But heaven forbid, if it is a stranger who notices. The connection between happy, healthy people and their skin It is true one can have a…

Let’s get serious here. Itching can drive us crazy. Skin care should be a ‘pleasing arrangements of balanced parts’, a harmonious experience.  Not a scratching frenzy. Take our X pack’ trio.  It plays well together, working wonders on the skin. An ‘O Sole mio’ in the shower.  A return to normalcy. The trio: A soap, a rinse, a cream Christy from Toronto loves the trio: “My husband had itchy, red, painful eczema on his scalp. None of the prescription creams worked like the X pack products. His skin immediately felt better and in a few weeks the symptoms were gone. The X pack is naturally…

The holiday season is here. For some, it brings to mind the nativity scene and the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. A few years ago I wrote an article honouring myrrh, the reddish brown sap from the thorny tree, native to northern Africa and the Middle East.  Myrrh has many uses in the cosmetic and health worlds. Being the season, it is a good time to revisit. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh Familiar to many during the holiday season is the ‘nativity scene where the 3 magi present their gifts to baby Jesus:  gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as…